If you love your mangoes, this is surely the best time of the year for you. Whether it’s Alphonso, Banganapalli, Raspuri, Kesar — or Langra, Chausa and Dussehri that become available a month later, depending upon where you are, as the monsoon progresses into the northern parts of the country — the king of fruits is now making its appearance in all its splendour. However, there can be a bummer in our moment of joys, a bitter truth of sorts lurking behind the sweet aroma of this beloved fruit. Enter ‘fake mangoes’, or artificially-ripened mangoes using harmful chemicals.
Sounds worrying, doesn’t it? Well, it does. Even though mangoes are naturally sweet, they are sometimes artificially ripened using calcium carbide, a chemical that can cause serious health problems.
Last year, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a strict notice to all those who engage in the artificial ripening of fruits using calcium carbide. It imposed the ban due to the health concerns associated with the use of this chemical under Regulation 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, which explicitly states, “No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale or have in his premises for the purpose of sale under any description, fruits which have been artificially ripened by use of acetylene gas, commonly known as carbide gas.”
Calcium carbide (CaC2) is a chemical compound that acts as a catalyst in accelerating the ripening process by initiating and controlling a series of chemical and biochemical activities. However, research has revealed that the use of calcium carbide can cause serious health problems, including dizziness, frequent thirst, irritation, weakness, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, and skin ulcers.
A 2022 paper, The use of calcium carbide in food and fruit ripening: Potential mechanisms of toxicity to humans and future prospects, highlighted that due to its nature, commercial CaC2 is consistently found to contain impurities such as arsenic and other toxic and carcinogenic chemicals. Not just in mangoes, it is also used for artificial flowering induction in pineapples. It is a highly reactive compound and releases acetylene gas upon contact with water which is an analog of ethylene (possesses toxic properties), and mimics its functions as a natural fruit ripening plant hormone. The health effects of calcium carbide are also comparable to those of other banned pesticides, such as arsenic and phosphorus. Due to these concerns, the FSSAI decided to prohibit the use of calcium carbide for the artificial ripening of fruits.
Fiona Sampat, clinical dietitian at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai, says, “Consuming fruits that are adulterated can have various impacts on your overall health. Acetylene gas can cause prolonged hypoxia (low levels of oxygen in blood), which can lead to dizziness, headaches, mood disturbances, or mental confusion. Calcium carbide is alkaline in nature, which may irritate the stomach lining causing nausea, abdominal pain and tissue damage.”
“The chemical can also cause acute mouth and throat irritation, persistent thirst, or fatigue. It has also been linked to some carcinogenic properties and may have an effect on the long-term health of an individual,” Sampat adds.
Detecting the toxin
Various papers and experts have been highlighting that, despite reporting acute cases, there has been an increase in the use of commercial CaC2 for fruit ripening in recent times, especially in developing countries like India, as many vendors may consider the toxic effects or risks as negligible.
Dr Karuna Chaturvedi, head of clinical nutrition, Max Super Speciality Hospital in Noida, says, “Calcium Carbide is a chemical that is banned in India. It is dangerous for the health of individuals. Even so, the guaranteed results are only possible to be obtained through lab tests. However, there are certain tricks which could be performed by citizens to identify if a fruit has been artificially ripened.”
Here are a few ways that you can identify fake mangoes:
Uniformity in skin: To identify mangoes ripened by carbon carbide, look for an even or uniform colouring (mainly bright yellow/orange) that appears to be quite unnatural.
Unusual marks or residue: Inspect the mango skin for any unusual marks or residue. Carbide-ripened mangoes may have dark spots, blemishes, or residues.
Pale or white spots: Naturally ripened mangoes have brown spots, while the ones ripened with chemicals will have pale or white spots.
Pressure test: The mango should feel firm and not squishy. An artificially ripened fruit will be mushy to touch, and overripe, especially near the stalk area even when appearing ripe.
Water test: Sink a mango in a jar containing water. If it sinks, it is safe to consume. However, if it floats on the surface, it has been artificially ripened as calcium carbide decreases the pulp in the fruit.
Aroma test: Chemically-ripened mangoes will also lack the beautiful aroma of natural mangoes and may have a chemical-like scent instead.
Fast ripening: The fruits may soften and ripen very quickly after purchase (overnight).
How to get rid of it
Here’s how one can reduce the potential toxins, present on or in fruits:
- Ensure that your hands, surface and utensils are well sanitised before washing the mangoes
- Wash the mangoes under cold running water for at least 30-45 seconds with moderate scrubbing in order to remove pesticides, dirt and debris from the surface. The mangoes can also be soaked in water for 15-20 minutes to remove additional impurities and soften the skin
- Soak the mangoes in vinegar-water solution (1:9) for 10-15 minutes
- Soak the mangoes in baking soda solution (1 tsp of baking soda per litre of water) for 10-15 minutes
- You can also soak the mangoes in lukewarm water for two hours
- before consumption
- Dry the mangoes thoroughly using a clean paper towel or towel to make it feasible for cutting
- You can also peel the mangoes before consumption as most of the contaminants are present on the surface
- The fruit should also be stored correctly. The ripened mangoes should be stored in the refrigerator to slow down the ripening
- Allow the unripened mango to ripen naturally by storing them at room temperature, preferably between a stack of straw or hay
Reducing potential risks
In order to reduce potential toxins, present on or in fruits, the following steps can be taken:
Peeling the skin: Pesticides remain on the skin of the fruit. In order to prevent any ingestion of these toxins, the skin can be removed and then the fruit consumed.
Proper storage: The fruits should be stored in proper conditions (depending on the temperature it can take) in order to prevent any mold or growth on its surface.
Organic considerations: The fruits that are grown through organic farming are safer, as these eliminate the use of synthetic pesticides.